Albert Einstein and Hannah Arendt's 1948 letter to the New York Times: They saw the creation of a Jewish ethnostate in Palestine at the expense of its indigenous Muslim and Christian population as a profound injustice and moral catastrophe. Einstein and the other signatories explicitly compared Begin’s Herut (Freedom Party), born from the Irgun, to Nazis and Fascists, warning that their ideology of racial superiority and violent ethnic nationalism posed a grave danger to the moral and political future of the new state.

https://x.com/mazzenilsson/status/2058596779835469875/photo/1

    

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine] 

https://archive.org/details/AlbertEinsteinLetterToTheNewYorkTimes.December41948/page/n2/mode/1up 

Albert Einstein and Hannah Arendt's letter to the New York Times: December 2, 1948 

Signed by Albert Einstein, Hannah Arendt, Sidney Hook, Rabbi Jessurun Cardozo, Irma Lindheim, and 22 other Jewish scholars, writers, and public figures. (Published December 4, 1948, in The New York Times.)

Israel’s attack on UNRWA is central to its genocide of the Palestinians: UNRWA’s mandate to provide for Palestinian refugees makes it a direct threat to the Israeli genocidal project.

A member of the Israeli forces walks past the rubble of a dismantled structure at the Jerusalem headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem on January 20, 2026 [Ammar Awad/Reuters]

By Christopher Gunness

Director of the Myanmar Accountability Project.

5 Apr 2026

It is time for the United Nations to accept that Israel’s attack on its agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is an essential part of the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people. This is not an accusation coming from a critic of Israel. It is a clear, on-the-record statement from the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Arieh King, who, in January, invoked divine Jewish authority, proudly proclaiming, “God willing, we will expel, kill, eliminate, and destroy all UNRWA personnel.”

As an agency founded specifically to serve Palestinian refugees after the creation of Israel in 1948, UNRWA has been involved in almost every aspect of the lives of millions of Palestinians. Its programmes span primary health, community mental health initiatives, education, relief and social services, mother and child healthcare, and refugee camp improvement.

Moreover, UNRWA’s extensive and recently digitised archive contains property deeds and proof of land ownership, which can assist the Palestinians in securing compensation and the right of return, which many Israelis see as an existential threat to the Jewish state.

UNRWA’s very existence, as a reminder of the Palestinians’ entitlement to a full range of inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination, has always made the physical and political destruction of the agency an imperative for successive Israeli governments. Numerous statements by Israeli officials attest to this, boastfully and as a matter of public record.

Israel’s decades-long campaign against UNRWA was ratcheted up exponentially when the latest phase of the genocide began in October 2023. That is because UNRWA’s function to promote long and healthy lives for the Palestinians was diametrically opposed to Israel’s genocidal goals, which, according to the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, include the imposition of conditions of life calculated to bring about their destruction in whole or in part.

In its provisional ruling in January 2024 in the genocide case brought by South Africa, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Israel was not allowing the necessary humanitarian aid to enter Gaza... READ MORE https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/4/5/israels-attack-on-unrwa-is-central-to-its-genocide-of-the-palestinians

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]

The Arabic word for God is “Allah” whether you are A CHRISTIAN or a MUSLIM ... Inshaa Allah

"I am Arab, also, a Palestinian Christian.

 

We also say, “Allahu Akbar” which is normally associated with the Muslim faith, we also say “Inshaa Allah”,

 

“Ma Shaa Allah” and 

 

“Alhamdulillah”,

 

this is simply because ARABIC is our spoken language. 

 

The Arabic word for God” is “Allah” whether you are A CHRISTIAN or a MUSLIM. ‘

 

— Theodosius Atallah Hanna

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is less complicated than you've been taught

Christmas in Bethlehem from Father Spiridon Sammour of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, occupied Palestine.

Christmas in Bethlehem from Father Spiridon Sammour of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, occupied Palestine.

First seen on the timeline of

Ray Hanania

"Merry Christmas Eve to all of the Orthodox and Arab Christians who celebrate Christmas tomorrow, Jan. 7. It's a complicated story as there are three different celebrations (Dec. 25, Jan. 7 and Jan. 18 depending on your religion.) The Greek Orthodox Christians maintain the old tradition using the Julian Calendar rather than the Gregorian Calendar or the "revised Julian Calendar"

MERRY CHRISTMAS ... "He is Risen"

 "Many Orthodox Christians fast before January 7, with the exception of meat and dairy products.

"Foods may include: Lenten bread, fresh nuts and dried fruits, vegetables and herbs such as potatoes, peas and garlic, mushroom soup, beans slow cooked with potatoes, garlic and spices, bobki (small biscuits mixed with sauerkraut or poppy seeds with honey). Honey. cod. Christmas Day, on the other hand, is a day to feast and enjoy the company of friends and family members.

"The Christmas meal usually includes meat and various types of pastries. One of the traditional Russian Christmas dishes is a goose baked with apples. The type of food and activity may vary depending on the culture and traditions of the country. In some Orthodox Christian cultures, people walk in procession to the seas, rivers, and lakes as part of the Mass on Orthodox Christmas Day. They make holes in the ice to bless the water if it is frozen. Not much importance is given to gift-exchange and business Christmas. Some Orthodox Christians celebrate the birth and worship of the shepherds (those who visited the baby Jesus) on January 6, followed by the worship of the Magi (three wise men or kings) on January 7. It may be longer than usual but many people find it inspiring."

~

From Arab News

Fr. Spiridon Sammour, the pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, delivers a sermon on Christmas Eve. (Fr-Spiridon Sammour)

"Muslims also recognize Jesus as a great prophet and that shared respect brings Christians and Muslims together. Easter commemorates the time when Christians believe Jesus was crucified by the Romans in Jerusalem and then resurrected."

Why do Orthodox and Arab Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7?

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1999461/middle-east

“The Church of the Nativity includes the Grotto of the Nativity and nearby caves, the Greek Orthodox Monastery, the Armenian Monastery, St. Jerome’s School, St. Catherine’s Church and St. Jerome’s Church,” Fr. Sammour said.

“When we visit the Grotto of Nativity, we find in the place where Jesus was born a star with 14 points. This denotes the 14 generations from Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to David the prophet and king, from David to the captivity to Babylon, and from the captivity to Babylon to Joseph, the husband of Mary and of whom Jesus was born.

“But most important is the inscription on the star. It reads in Latin, ‘Hic natus est Jesus Christus ex Maria Vergine,’ which translates as, ‘Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.’” Fr. Sammour said.

“The key is the word ‘here’ as it means that the great mystery of the incarnation took place in this particular place, and this means that this geographical point is central because it is a meeting point between heaven and earth, God and man.”

 Please go to the original article to read it in full

PALESTINA The Gateway to Jaffa - 1930 Palestine Photos by Dutch photographer Frank Scholten "Mr. Scholten was clearly fascinated by Palestinian culture, especially by the way Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together peacefully ."

Captions translated from Dutch to English 2021

Customs control ("gumruk" in Arabic). From Jaffa, Palestinian agricultural products were exported all over the world. Oranges of course, but also wine.

Daughters of Palestine", this photo reads. Not all Arabs are Muslims, some are Christians. But no less Arab or Palestinian for that. Scholten speaks of "Catholic natives"

Different types of bread

Fair!

Farmer with typical farmer's scarf (keffijeh). During a major uprising against the British a few years after Frank Scholten's journey, this will become the symbol of Palestinian national identity, supplanting the Fez as the most popular headwear

Friday Prayer

In Palestine, all kinds of nationalities lived together. The book contains photos of Indians, Africans, Europeans, etc. This African Palestinian is clearly at ease with the Ottoman Fez.

In the 1920s, Jaffa was booming, judging by the photos of construction workers at work.

Jaffa

Jewish craftsman

Jewish quarter. The (small) Jewish communities in Palestine lived peacefully with the Palestinians.

Last Supper for the sheep chosen for the Feast of Sacrifice 

Tanning

Lunch from a tanner

Melon harvest (and "hump")

Mosque with Corinthian columns.

Palestine was then still a British colony. Here the British gendarmerie clears the way for the High Commissioner who will pass

School

Soldier with banner. The author chose this photo to emphasize how graceful the Arabic script is.

The "congregation servant" sounds his trumpet to announce the Sabbath.

The Bedouins are a nomadic people who still live in Palestine today, but who have even fewer rights within Israel than the Palestinians.

The old port of Jaffa. This important Palestinian port city was largely destroyed in 1948 by Zionist militias. "Tel Aviv", the capital of Israel, was founded on the ruins.

The sailors of Jaffa rest, with fez (typical Ottoman hat for townspeople) and water pipe. Image reminds me of a film by Fellini (Roma or Amarcord), where they are eating on a tram track and have to stand up every time the tram passes.

Today Orthodox Jews still live in Palestine (Israel), descendants of these communities. They have nothing to do with the Zionists and are explicitly against the existence of the Israeli state.

Arab women with hookah. The woman on the left suffers from cataracts ("ophthalmia" apparently, according to the book).

Typical wooden "upper rooms". The Palestinian cities are often centuries old, these kinds of renovations were often the only way to create more space.

We used to make our own "kites" with my grandpa. This one looks a bit more complex

Young lad in "Friday clothes"

Frank Scholten   PALESTINA  The Gateway to Jaffa

Photos & post shared by

Mike Hanini Odetalla

who shared it from

Olivier Goessens

Nov2tembS14p2chelnrt 8g2ai aat 9oc0r1e2d:i23 PMm  ·

Last weekend I came across Jonas Adriaensens at a cafe in Ghent . He was carrying a big book under his arm that he found at a flea market, and had me browsing . In the end, he even gave me the book, with the intention that I could donate it to an organization that fights for the rights of the Palestinian people .

 

It concerns a unique book from 1930, when printed on 1000 copies, from a Dutch photographer, traveler and religious scholar named Frank Scholten . I had never heard of the book, there's a chance that there are hardly any copies of it . The book contains a treasure of beautiful "artistic photographs" (dixit the author) of life in Palestine a hundred years ago . Mr. Scholten was clearly fascinated by Palestinian culture, especially by the way Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together peacefully . He didn't know how meaningful his photos would become a century later...

 

Because these photos prove something the Israeli and Western colonists are trying to deny: that there was a prosperous country called Palestine before Israel was founded . Not a "country without a people", but a rich history of a prosperous Palestinian nation . A buzzing, multicultural and tolerant society even . They're powerful images, featuring indelible faces of real people .

 

I have been to Palestine three times and I feel deeply connected to the Palestinian struggle for dignity and justice . A battle that starts with acknowledging their existence, something the colonizers are so stubbornly trying to prevent . As I browse through this book, I look into the eyes of the Palestinian ancestors who live today between the illegal settlements, between barbed wire and checkpoints; or in the Gaza open-air prison; or those born just like their parents are in refugee camps that 70 years ago as "temporary" Designed by . The ancestors of the 4650 Palestinian political prisoners who, often without trial, have been locked up in brutal circumstances by the Israeli occupier . Ancestors of the ten thousand Palestinians murdered by the regime since 1948 . From the Nakba, over the Sabra and Shatilla genocide, to the nearly weekly victims of the Israeli occupation army . Like the young Mohammad Da'as, 15, who was shot dead last week .

 

The Pashtoons were not allowed to speak out about Israel’s establishment - replaced by Western powers who wanted to maintain a bridge head in the region after Arab colonies’ independence . Suddenly the Zionist occupiers were there, with tanks and planes, bombs and machine guns . Suddenly Palestinians were forcefully deported from their country . Suddenly they were told it was never their country . That they were uncultured barbarians, who had to take place for a "civilized people". These photos prove .

 

I will do my best to scan these photos correctly . Whoever wants them (digital) just let them know . I already have a destination in mind for the book itself, but @Jonas if you think about it, you'll definitely get it back

#FreePalestine